A Case of Stubbornitis

“Mom, we’re having an Indian show-and-tell today,” Peter announced at breakfast. “You know what I’m taking?”

“Hmmm, I guess not,” Mom said, buttering her toast.

“The arrowhead that Uncle Steve gave me,” Peter said, pulling it from his pocket.

“That will be nice,” Mom agreed.

“And I’m going to tell how Raven Wing gave it to him, and how he got…”

“Better save the story for school,” Mom interrupted. “It’s time to leave.”

Peter grabbed his coat and backpack. Mom gave him a kiss good-bye. “Listen to your teacher,” she said, “and remember to think about others before yourself!” But Peter was thinking of showing Sam the arrowhead and didn’t pay attention.

At story time Mrs. Matthews read about Chief Black Hawk. She chose Sam to sit up front and wear the feather headdress. Peter didn’t like to sit by himself. Besides, Shelley kept getting her head in the way of the pictures. So Peter scooted over until he was sitting next to Sam. He gave his friend a poke. “You won’t guess what I have in my pocket,” he whispered.

“Get back to your seat, Peter,” the teacher said.

“But I can’t see the pictures,” Peter muttered. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the arrowhead.

“Peter!” Mrs. Matthews held out her hand. “Give that to me.”

“But I don’t want to,” Peter said. “I want to keep it in my pocket.”

“I’m waiting for you.” The room was quiet as all the other children looked at him. Peter clenched his arrowhead and frowned. Slowly he handed it over to his teacher and went back to his seat. His throat felt tight and he crossed his arms glumly. Now his day was ruined.

It got even worse. “Peter’s uncle works at an Indian reservation,” Mrs. Matthews told everybody at show-and-tell. “Did he give you this arrowhead?” Peter looked at the shiny black stone in his teacher’s hand and nodded. He wished it was back in his pocket.

“Tell us about it,” the teacher said.

“I don’t want to,” Peter said. He felt sick in his stomach.

“I’m sure the others are curious about it,” Mrs. Matthews smiled. But it wasn’t a nice smile, Peter was sure. Why did she have to mess everything up? He couldn’t remember anything he wanted to say and he felt like sinking through the floor.

“Did your uncle find it or did someone give it to him?” Mrs. Matthews prompted.

“Someone gave it,” Peter muttered.

“Was it from an Indian at the reservation?”

Peter nodded.

At last the horrible questions were over and the arrowhead was safely back in his pocket.

All day things kept going wrong. Peter had to share his eraser with Shelley. She got it all smudgy like he knew she would. And then he had to take out the recycles right when he and Sam were working on their teepee model. Sure enough, they didn’t have time to finish before school was over.

Peter got off the bus in a sour mood. He felt for his arrowhead. His pant pockets were empty. “I probably left it on the teepee table. Now someone’s going to take it,” he worried. “And Mom won’t even care. She’ll make me do chores and…”

“Hi Peter!” Mom called from the front door. “Snack is ready and then Dad wants you to clean out the hamster cage today.”

“I don’t want snack. My stomach hurts,” Peter said. He dropped his coat and backpack and headed toward his room.

“I’m sorry you don’t feel well,” Mom said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Put your things away and tell me about it.”

“I don’t want to,” Peter said, looking at the floor.

“Has it been a bad day?” Mom asked quietly.

Peter nodded. He remembered all the things he didn’t want to do. And all the bad things that had happened when he had to do them. His stomach felt hard and cold.

“Did you know that bad days can be turned to good days?” Mom said sweetly. She lifted Peter’s chin. “I had a bad morning, but do you know what? It’s a good day now because I asked God to help me to have the right attitude. Shall we ask God to help you?”

Peter didn’t answer. He didn’t want to pray. He didn’t want to have anyone help him. He just wanted to be left alone for once.

“Will you tell me what went wrong?”

Peter shrugged. “I lost my arrowhead,” he said at last.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mom said. “Let’s ask God to help you find it.”

“I don’t want to,” Peter muttered. “I think someone at school took it.”

“Maybe they’ll bring it back,” Mom said. “You can look for it tomorrow. It’s time to hang up your coat and do chores.”

“But I don’t want to,” Peter said, shaking his head.

“Peter,” Mom said firmly, “there are many things to do. You will be much happier if you wanted to do them.”

“But I don’t want to!” Peter almost wailed this time.

“And that is the problem,” Mom agreed. Suddenly she laughed. Peter looked at her in surprise. “I do think you are sick, Peter. Sick with stubbornitis and infection of the attitude. Come with me,” she said, leading him down the hall.

“But I don’t want to!” Peter dragged his feet all the way to his bedroom.

Mom sat him down on his bed and looked straight into his eyes. “Peter, this is serious. Stubbornitis is dangerous. It makes you miserable and will kill you if you don’t get rid of it.”

Peter didn’t say anything. What was Mom talking about? He knew he was in trouble. But he didn’t want a spanking and he didn’t want to lie in bed all afternoon. He was surprised when Mom began telling him a story.

“Remember how God saved the people of Israel from being slaves in Egypt?” she began. “After they crossed the Red Sea, God led them through a wilderness. And it wasn’t very fun. It was dry and hot and everyone got thirsty. Guess what they started to say?”

Peter shrugged. “They complained and said it was better to be slaves in Egypt,” Mom continued. “When God provided water and food for them, they still weren’t happy. What do you think their problem was?” Mom looked at Peter.

“I don’t know.” Peter looked at his hands and frowned.

“The problem was their attitude,” said Mom. “God had good plans for them, but they were selfish and hardhearted. Nothing seemed to go the way they liked it. They worried and complained and didn’t trust God at all. At last they came to the land that God had promised to give them. And do you know what happened then?”

Peter knew about the twelve spies that brought back the giant bunch of grapes. He had seen it in a picture once. But Mom wasn’t talking about that. Her voice was serious and she shook her head sadly.

“They didn’t like the land either, that’s what. Even though it was a wonderful place, all they could think about were the giants and the big walled cities. When Caleb and Joshua said, ‘Let’s go up and take the land, because God will help us,’ they only wailed, ‘But we don’t want to! We will be killed!’ Their stubborn, hard hearts didn’t believe that God loved them or would help them. So guess what? All the bad things that they were afraid of happened to them. Instead of living in Canaan with fruits and fields and houses, they wandered in the wilderness forty years and died there.”

“All of them?” asked Peter.

“All the ones who had stubbornitis,” Mom said. “You see, the problem was in their hearts and so they couldn’t get rid of it. Wherever they went and whatever happened it was always bad, because they had a bad attitude. And so they had a bad end.”

“But Joshua and Caleb didn’t,” Peter remembered.

Mom smiled. “Why not?”

“Because they didn’t have a bad attitude,” Peter said slowly.

“And how come they didn’t, do you think?” Mom asked. “They had been slaves in Egypt. They were thirsty and hungry in the wilderness, too. The same troubles happened to them, and they saw the same giants in Canaan. Why did they keep trusting God and have a good attitude?”

“I don’t know,” Peter shrugged. “Because they wanted to?”

Mom nodded her head. “Yes, Peter. Because they wanted to. Because Caleb chose to trust God with all his heart, he was able to go to Canaan and conquer the giants. That’s the only way anyone can get rid of a stubborn heart. When you don’t want to, you never can get rid of it. Are you ready face the giants, like Caleb, and pray for a better afternoon?”

Peter thought about all the bad things that had happened that day. Especially about his lost arrowhead. He thought of Caleb fighting the giants of Canaan. He probably had a bow and arrows. Maybe he lost an arrowhead once.

Mom folded her hands. “God won’t make you, but He so much wants to help you if you will ask. That’s when you will find that God can make all the bad things turn out good. Shall I pray for you?”

Peter nodded and closed his eyes. As Mom prayed, he suddenly knew what Caleb would’ve done. “Dear Lord,” he added, “help me find my arrowhead.”

Mom gave him a hug. “Time to put your things away and clean that cage,” she said. “And if you are hungry, your snack is on the table.”

“I want to clean the cage first,” Peter decided. And he felt good saying it. In the hallway he picked up his coat.

“What’s that?” Mom asked, pointing to a shiny stone on the floor.

“My arrowhead!” Peter said, reaching for it excitedly. “It must have dropped from my coat pocket!”

“God answered your prayer quickly, didn’t He?” Mom said with a laugh.

Peter grinned. It was going to be a good day, after all.